Docking flying boats



Nov. 19, 1946. m' 2,411,382

DOCKING FLYING BOATS Filed Dec. 2, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGURE I g a INVENTOR. w 3,; GLENN MARTIN ATTO EY indicated as 2.

Patented Nov. 3.9, 1945 DOCKING FLYING BOATS Glenn L. Martin, Baltimore, Md, assignor to The Glenn L. Martin C0mpany, Middle River, Md., a

corporation of. Maryland Application December 2, 1943, Serial No. 512,533

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel system and apparatus relating: thereto, to facilitate the handling; mooring and; docking of large flying boats.

Due toithe necessity for keeping the structural weight to a minimum in. aircraft, in order to carry the maximum pay load, the hulls of flying boats are designed withdueconsideration for all condition that, may beencountered in normal operation. These hulls, are, not of the massive structure of1 Water craft and it is not advisable to dock flying boats by means of tugs usually employed indocking ships. Care must be taken to see-that the flying boat bulls are not damaged by impact or; abrasion. when afloat. The motive power and. steering of flying boat-s along open water for take-cit and landing is derived from the propellers an-d empennage but the empennage is not adequate toeffect the precise control at slow speeds necessary to dock such a craft. For this reason, it has been necessary to develop auxiliary handling and docking facilities for flying boats.

The general object of this invention is to facilitate the handling, mooring and docking of flying boats of any size or shape.

More particularly, an object of this invention is the provision of means to maneuver a flying boat when afloat, from open water into a position alongside a floating dock without bumping or scraping the hull.

A further object of this invention is the provision of flying boat handling facilities that involve readily available material and apparatus, and which can be easily and quickly installed, maintained and repaired.

rther and other objects will become apparent from the description of the accompanying drawihgs which form a part of this disclosure and in which like numerals refer to like parts.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the schematic arrangement of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the arrangement shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevational View of the arrangement.

The general arrangement of the invention illustrated in Figure 1, shows a flying boat I, approaching a U-shaped floating dock generally Ramp 3 is hinged to the floating dock and also the shorestructure so that the dock rides the tide.

In the water, off the end of the dock are anchored buoys 4, 5 and 6 and I having pulleys 8 secured thereto. These buoys may be cushioned to protect the sidesof any craft in case of impact.

Located on the shore structure or anyother suitable-place are power operated winches 9; ill and H. Winch 9 has a cable l2 secured thereto, which passes through a pulley guide [3 and is attached to either end of the boat. While the invention isillustrated maneuvering the boat to the dockbow first, it is possible to dock theboat stern first so that when it is moved from the dock to open water, it will, be in position to continue under its own power. The pulley guide 13- is located at the end of the path along which it; is desired to move the boat.

Winches liland II have two drums each to which cables I4, L5, l6 and Il are attached. Cables: l2, I5 and I6-may be connected to a single terminal fitting which is secured by a suitable fastening device tothe bow or stern of the boat or separate attaching means may be provided to secure each cable to the boat. In a similar manner, cables l4 and I! may be joined to a fitting which facilitates the attachment of the cables to the boat. Floats l8 0n the cables make it easy to pick up the cable ends for attachment to the boat.

The cable is usually picked up from the water and secured to the hull by a docking crew in a small boat along side the flying boat but the securing of the cable to the hull can be accomplished by cable pick-ups on the hull.

In the preferred form of the invention, the cables from the winches are rigged through the pulley on the buoys and joined at the attaching fittings. Cables l2, I5 and it are connected to one fitting and cable-s l4 and I! are attached to another. These fittings are picked up and secured to the boat.

In order to dock a flying boat according to the above described invention, the flying boat approaches the off-shore end of the dock and stops somewhere between the anchored buoys. Cables l4 and I! are secured to one end of the boat and cables l2, l5 and I6 are secured to the other end. The points of attachment of the cables to the flying boat should be forward and aft of the center of resistance of the boat to cross winds or water currents. Pulley guide I3 determines the point toward which the boat will be towed. Winch 9 reels in cable 22 as winches H1 and II pay out cables Hi, [5, I6 and IT. The rate at which these latter winches are operated relative to winch 9 determines, in a positive manner, the

path of the boat. An operator located in a con trol tower having full view of the docking procedure will, by remote control, manipulate the 3 cables by controlling the winches. The winches I0 and II ma be operated in unison or independently, as required to maintain the boat in alignment against wind or tide.

To move a boat from the docking to open water, the reverse operation of the winches is all that is required. 7

It is to be understood that certain changes, alterations, modifications and substitutions can be made so long as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus for aligning a flying boat with a floating dock having the free end thereof extending toward open Water and the other end movably secured to shore structure whereby said dock may ride the tide, a power driven winch located adjacent the shore end of said dock, a cable extending from said winch secured to the forward portion of the flying boat hull to control the forward motion thereof along the dock, guide means for said cable adjacent the shore end of said dock, a plurality of anchored, floating buoysupported pulleys located off the free end of the dock laterally spaced from the desired path of travel, a continuous cable passing through one of said pulleys on each side of said path, Winches engaging said cable at each shore end thereof, the midpoint of said cable being secured to a terminal on the end of said'first mentioned cable which is ecured to the forward portion of said hull, a second continuous cable extending through pulleys on laterally spaced buoys farther from shore having winches on the shore ends of said continuous cable, the midpoint of which is adapted to be secured to the oil-shore end of said seaplane hull whereby upon the simultaneous reeling in of the first mentioned cable and paying out at a controlled rate of speed of the laterally extending cables, the boat may be positively moved along a predetermined path.

2. An apparatus for moving a seaplane relative to a shore structure along a fixed, predetermined path, comprising a towing cable and a pair of continuous cables, the midpoints of'said pair of cables adapted to be secured to the forward and aft ends of a seaplane hull, a plurality of powerdriven winches on said shore structure to which the ends of said pair of cables are attached and by which said cables are reeled in or payed out, a pair of floating buoys anchored at laterally spaced positions relative to each side of said path, said pair of buoys being spaced along the path 'a'distance approximately equal to the waterline length of said seaplane hull, cable guide means on said buoys, each of the pair of said cables extending transversely of said path supported by a buoy on each side of said path, the midpoints of said cables being located between the buoys generally aligned with said path, a cable guide on said shore structure at the shore end of said path, said towing cable passing over said last mentioned cable guide for moving the seaplane along said path, terminals at the midpoints of saidcables detachably secured to said seaplane hull, floats located on the laterally extending portions of the cables between the mid-- points and the cable guide means on said buoys to maintain the midpoints of said cables near the surface of the water, said Winches on the ends of the continuous cables being operated at controlled rates of speed relative to said last named winch to maintain the motion of the seaplane hull along said path and restrain said hull from lateral departures from said predetermined path.

' GLENN L. MARTIN. 

